Oyo State to be Split into Three States

The forum of Stakeholders on State Creation in Oyo State has revisited its claim that the present Oyo State is due to be split into three states, namely; Ibadan, Oke-Ogun and New Oyo states.

 

This was disclosed by the forum in a press release titled: “Oyo State is where new states should be created in the South-West” and signed by its chairman and secretary, Chief Wole Akinwande and Jare Ajayi, respectively, and made available to the media.

The forum stated that “Oyo State delegates to the Confab spoke our minds in the press conference they addressed last Friday, May 16, 2014 where they underscored the fact that Oyo State is where states should be created at any time states are to be created from the South western part of Nigeria.

 

“Our delegates’ position is in line with the press conference we gave here in Ibadan last week Monday, May 12, 2014 where we reminded those concerned that Oyo State should be split into states in the very next states’ creation exercise. We are hereby reiterating this position that Oyo State is the most deserving to be split into states.”

 

Among reasons stated why these bereft states must come to exist are, according to the forum: “Oyo State must be split, in that with about 28,245.26km2 landmass “Oyo State is bigger than about 10 states in Nigeria.”

 

Also, “Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, remains the only regional and provincial headquarters that has not become a state of its own.

 

“By this, we are referring to such provincial headquarters like Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, etc, all of which have assumed the status of states respectively. In the spirit of fairness, equity and justice, it is high time for Ibadan too to receive the same treatment.”

 

“Even after creating Ibadan State out of the present Oyo State, what would be left is still big enough to be split into at least two, thus the demands for Oke-Ogun and New Oyo states.”

 

Meanwhile, the forum however stated that “in case only one state is to be created from each of the geo-political zone in Nigeria, Oyo State should be the beneficiary in the South-West because it is currently the most qualified demographically, considering the latest Population Census published in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette.